God is never mentioned in Esther, yet His fingerprints are all over the pages of this beloved book. In the same way, did we fail to recognize God among us when Yeshua (Jesus) walked the earth some 2,000 years ago? Did he, like Esther, come “for such a time as this?”

A little over four months ago the world watched in horror as news reports showed graphic images of Muammar Gaddafi’s capture and execution in Libya. No doubt many felt mixed emotions. It is hard to find pity for a brutal dictator who enthusiastically sponsored...

These are trying times. As we’re confronted with an economic meltdown of global proportions, international terrorism, political upheaval and cultural decline, many can’t help wondering how we will survive such conditions. Jewish history has much to teach...

Lessons from Leaven Next month is Passover, which lasts for one night and is immediately followed by the Feast of Unleavened Bread, which lasts for seven. In preparation for these holidays, we have an in-depth look at leaven. The word “leaven” (chametz, חָמֵץ)...

Evil Has a Name and It Begins with H” Many people don’t want to acknowledge that evil exists; they believe that people do bad things because circumstances or environment or conditioning leaves them no choice. Others know that evil exists but see it as a...

There I stood, “Super Mordechai,” in my red-dyed long underwear, sporting a cape and a big “M” emblazoned on my thermal undershirt. I’m not sure if the costume shaped my understanding of Purim or vice versa, but for most of my life I have...

Purim is the Jewish holiday which is most carnival-like. Children drown out Haman’s name with greggers. Young Jewish girls participate in Queen Esther beauty pageants. Plays are enacted called Purimspiels. And everyone noshes on poppyseed and prune hamantaschen....

The scene is the bed chamber of Queen Esther on the night before she attempts to approach the king’s throne uninvited. The following letter by Bonnie Wilks is fictitious, yet might well express some of Esther’s sentiments from the background of a Jew, an...

There’s an old Yiddish saying: If God lived on earth, they would break his windows.” As believers we know that God does live on earth. As we receive him and yield ourselves to him, he walks where our feet walk and touches what our hands touch. But it was...

A megillah is one of the five scrolls of the Bible (Ruth, Song of Solomon, Lamentations, Ecclesiastes and Esther). However, most often the term refers to the scroll of Esther, which is read in its entirety at Purim. Because the scroll of Esther is ten chapters long,...

Of all the happy holidays in the Jewish calendar, Purim, the Feast of Esther, is a favorite. What makes it so popular? Is it the fragrant hamantashen, with their sticky-sweet surprises of poppy seed or prune filling ? Is it the fun of dressing up in costume to emulate...